Heritage

The Ontario Heritage Act provides legislation to protect Ontario's Heritage Resources. Heritage Planning Staff, as well as Heritage Whitby Advisory Committee, promote heritage conservation through the documentation and protection of heritage sites and the implementation of policies to help guide change to these properties and areas.

Our cultural heritage is what makes us unique. Cultural heritage resources can take many different forms including:

buildings and structures;

streetscapes, landscapes and heritage conservation districts;

cemeteries and archaeological sites; and

documents, photographs and artifact collections.

Heritage Properties

The Town is required to create and maintain the Heritage Register in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA). The Town's Register contains:

Listed Property - Information Sheet

Individually Designated Property (Part IV) - Information Sheet

Designated as part of a Heritage Conservation District (Part V) - Information Sheet

Brooklin Heritage Conservation District

Under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, municipalities are able to designate certain areas as Heritage Conservation Districts (HCD), and adopt Plans for preservation of heritage resources and management of development within the HCD. The Brooklin Heritage Conservation was established in 2008.

One of the initial steps of this study was to evaluate the existing properties within the district and rank them according to their heritage significance. The Inventory sheets are used in determining the importance conserving the structure(s) in the District and are also used in determining if a property qualifies for the Heritage Property Tax Rebate Program.

Werden's Plan Heritage Conservation District

Under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, municipalities are able to designate certain areas as Heritage Conservation Districts (HCD), and adopt Plans for preservation of heritage resources and management of development within the HCD. The Werden's Plan Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District was established in 2019.

Requesting Removal of a Non-Designated Property

The Town has experienced an increase in requests to remove properties from the municipal heritage register ('the register'). The Ontario Heritage Act, (OHA) R.S.O. 1990 c.O18 as amended, provides the legal basis for protecting heritage properties. While a framework to designate the properties and remove the designation on a heritage property is clearly set out in the Act, a similar framework is lacking for listing/de-listing a property.

In order to ensure a consistent approach is undertaken, the Town, in consultation with the Heritage Whitby Advisory Committee, established a document to provide a formal process to manage requests to remove properties from the register.

Heritage Permit Application

A heritage permit is required to make changes to properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. Properties that are listed (not designated) in the Heritage Register do not require a heritage permit. To determine if your property is designated or listed, see the Town's Heritage Register.

Heritage Planning Staff should be contacted initially to discuss your project and the process.

Heritage Permit Applicationcan be downloaded to further assist you in preparing any required plans or information. If your property is designated as part of a heritage conservation district, you can review the Heritage Conservation District Plan (Brooklin / Werden's Plan) which provides guidelines on how to ensure alterations are sympathetic to both your building and the district.

Heritage permit applications are reviewed and approved by Heritage Planning Staff when they meet heritage guidelines and requirements. Larger and more complex applications are also reviewed by Heritage Whitby Advisory Committee at monthly meetings.

Preparing a Heritage Impact Assessment

Heritage Whitby Advisory Committee

Overview of the committee, its members and meeting information. Access more information here.

Role of the Committee

The mandate of the Heritage Whitby Advisory Committee is to advise Council on identifying, conserving and promoting heritage resources in our community.

The committee reviews and makes recommendations to Council on matters under the Ontario Heritage Act. The committee also promotes public awareness of Whitby's cultural heritage and conducts research into cultural heritage resource matters that support the work plan of the Sustainability, Heritage, Downtowns and Community Development Division.

An assessment of the effects of conservation areas on value, Final Report, May 2012. (Gabriel M. Ahlfeldt, Nancy Holman & Nicole Wendland, London School of Economics and Political Science, commissioned by English Heritage)

Economics of Uniqueness, 2012 (World Bank)

Economics and Historic Preservation: A Guide and Review of the Literature (Randall Mason, Metropolitan Policy Porgram - The Brookings Institution)